Roof or wall covering



Feb. 19,' 1929.`

E. w.| EsHER ROOF OR WALL GOVERING Filed Dec. 14, 1925 3 Sheets-Sheet 15 .rNvfA/TOR rroxwvey Feb. 19, 1929.

E. w. LESHER ROOF OR WALL COVERING Filed Deo. 14, 1925 3 Sheets-Sheet 2INvz/VTOR leb.V 19, 1929.

E. W. LESHER ROOF OR WALL COVERING Filed Dec. 14, 1925 3 Sheets-Sheet 5fm1 o.

Patented Feb. 19, 1929.

UNITED STATES EARL W. LESHER, OF LAKEWOOD, OHIO.

ROOIE` OR WALL COVERING.

Application filed December lThis invention relates to a covering for abuilding and process of laying or constructing same; being adapted foruse as a rooting or siding.

One objectotl the .invention is to provide an improved covering'7whereby cost oit the materials .is materially reduced and the operationot' applying same is simplilied.

Another object ot the invention is to pro vide an improved coveringwhich is relatively cheap, durable and gives the appearance ot tile.

Another object of the invention is to provide a new construction ofcovering, whereby different tile effects with respect to arrangement orcolor may be readily produced.

Another object ot' the invention is to provide an improved covering forthe rootl or side Wall ot a building, comprising a supporting sectionand an insulation section capable of being permanently positioned by asingle operation.

A further object of the invention is to provide a new covering materialwhich is cheap ly fabricated, is relatively light and resist ant tochanges in temperature.

A further object of the invention is to provide an improved process ot'covering one or more walls or the roof of a building, whereby saving ofmaterial and labor results.

Other objects of the invention will be apparent to those skilled in theart to which my invention relates 'from the following de,- scriptiontaken in connection with the accompanying drawings, wherein Fig. l is aperspective view ot a building having a, covering embodying my inventionover a.V portion of the top and side walls.

Fig. 2 is a. fragmentary perspective view o'li a covering memberembodying my invention; the torni shown in this view being ot thecomposite type.

Fig. 2a is a view similar to Fig. 2, but showing a type of rootingmember molded or otherwise formed from a suitable insulating material.

Fig; 3 a section on the line 3 8 ot' 4 but taken at the upper end of theroot.

Fig. 4c is a view ot' the parts shown in Fig. 3, looking downwardly in adirection perpendicular to the plane of the root.

Fig. 5 is a section on the line 5-5 of Fig. Ll.

Fig. 6 is a view similar to Fig. 4 but showing a'slightly different formot' construction Serial No. 75,336.

and a dil'erent arrangement of the covering members to give a dilferenttile ell'ect.

Fig. 7 is a view similar to Fig. 4, but showing another -forni olfcovering' member.

Fig. 8 a fragmentary perspective view of a member oli the constructionshown in Fig 7.

Fig. Sil is a view similar to Fig. 8, but showing a type oil: coveringmember molded from a suitable insulating material.

Fig. 9 is a section on the line 9 9 of Fig. 7.

Fig. l0 is a View similar to Fig. 4 butshowing another form of coveringmember and its arrangement to torni a rooting.

Fig. l1 is a fragmentary perspective View ot two associated rootingmembers of the forni shown in Fig, 10.

Fig. 12 is a section on the line 1.2-12 of Fig. l?, is a tragmentaryperspective view ot a rooting member such as shown in Fig. l0, but otslightly dill'crcnt construction.

Fig. lll is a. view illustrating the method of cutting out roofingmembers without waste of material.

In the drawings, A .indicates a buildingl or structure of any desiredsize, that shown bcing ot' a conventional type having upriglits B, crossmembers or beams C. inclined ra't'ters D and a top rail or ridge boardE, these structural elements being connected together in any well knownway. In carrying out my invention, these elements may be constructed inany desired manner and o'f any kind ol material. it being only necessaryto provide some means to receive the means (such as nails F) whichsecure the rooting or siding in position. In ordinary buildings. the`framing is usually constructed lrom wooden elements7 such as shown inFig. l, so that under normal conditions the covering is applied directlythereto.

My inlproved rooting is constructed from a plurality of members(indicated as an entirety at l) each ot which may be molded or otherwiseformed or made into a composite structure, as desired, being constructedin a manner and shape to serve both as a sheathing and a covering vforthe roof and side walls ol a structure, as will later ap pear. Eachmember l may be of any desired length; thatis, each member may extendfrom side edge to side edge ot a wall or a roof or they may be of lesslength and laid end to end, but jointed, preferably in a manner toprevent leakage, as will later appear. The covering` members l are laidin overlapping relation directly-upon the ratters D or beams B, as thecase may be, this rangement eliminating the necessity tor a sheathing otany charcater, including boards, telt, paper or other material. Eachmember l comprises a basal section 2 and a coyering section 3. In Figs.2 and 8 these sections are integrallyv formed as by molding` orcompression from a suitable material, tor example, pulp, such as canepulp, wood pulp, with or without leather findings, or a pulp havingother cellulose materials as a base, suitablyv combed, dried andtreated. These materials may be molded or otherwise termed into theshape shown in 2 and S, but pre-torably I obtain this n'iaterial insheet torni and cut it into the desired shape to term the sections 3 andform thebasal sections 2 trom wood and then secure the sections 2, E, together by cement or other binding` material. In practice I have usedsheet material of this character generally known as Celotei: and alsosheet material of this Character generally known as Insulite. Thesematerials are rcsistant to temperature changes and sound and largelywaterproof. To make it entirely water-proof, I may impregnato it witlasl ph alt which also acts as a ccmenting material to secure thesections 2, 3, together. JFurthermore, I also cover the exposed surfaceot the sections 3 with ground mineral, such as slate, thereby makingitweather resisting. adding' to it sutiicient weight to prevent the Windfrom blowing it out of position and facilitating color eliects to zgivethe appearance of roofing tile. This composite t'orm of constructionalso permits me to construct the basal sections 2 from a grade of lumbercheaper than that ordiarily used in building;` Without impairinfr thestrength et the rooting or side walls.

The basal section 2 is ot less width than the rooting section 3 andarranged along its upper edge, thereby forming a shoulder 1l whichengages the upper edge oit the next lower member l, and permitting therooting; sections 3 to overlap this latter member. 'llhc roofing section3 is preferably wide enough to overlap that portion ot the next lowercovering member l above its basal section 2, but also a portion ot thenext adjacent member l, that is, the covering section is wider than twoof the basal sections when arranged side edge to side edge, so that overeach joint between one member 1 and the shoulder oi' the basal section 2tor the adjacent member l there are two thicknesses of the coverii jsections 3, to insure flow oi' water past the joints. This arrangementalso (l) permits t vo nails F to be driven through each member into eachbeam B or rafter D, one near the upper edge ot the basal section 2 andthe other near the lower edge thereof and both nails covered by one ortwo thicknesses oit the rooting sections, and in the form otconstruction shown in Figs. l, 2, 9c, 3, et and 6, it disposes the jointabore the inner end walls of the cut-aways 5, so that heat within thcstructure cannot escape the joint due to its tendency to rise ratherthan drop. Aside from the leak-proof iform construction thus insured,the rootI when constructed from the covering memhers l is `improved inappearance and more closely resembles tile. To provide l'or a 'race totace relation between the upper surface ot each covering section 3 andhe under surtace oft the overlappimgv portion ot the n upper section 3,the lower surface ot the be section 2 inclined toward its upper "treeedge, that the combined width oit the basal section 2 and the rootingsection 3 along; their 'tree edges is equal to the width ot the shoulder l alongl the inner or lower edge ot the basal. section.

In Figs. 7, 8, 8 and 9 l have shown covering members l in which thelower or overlapping portions of the sections thereof are continuoustrom end to enc, this Yterm ot construction being particularly adaptableas a sidingsince it gives the appear nce olf weather boarding; whereasin i, 2, 2, E and l the `lower portions otl the covering,l sections aretermed with cut-away sections 5, to provide spaced projections,preferably eq al in width `to the width oi" the cutaway sections andequal in length to the width ot the basal section 2, which makes yhisform advantageous for use as a rooting'. In this latter term oitconstruction, the covering members l may be arranged with theprojections (3 in alignment, as sl'iown in Figs. l, 3 and t, or they maybe staggered shown in Fig. 6, thereby providing for ditlerent sorts ottile eil/lect. its shown in these illustinted arrangements, theprojections tl oi? one men'iber tern'nnatc on lines coincident with theinner end walls oi" the eut-away sections 5 ot the next lower section,the result ot which is to make the ti lo appearance more e-l'lective.

As already set torth, the members l may be ot any desired length, butare preterably constructed in lengths to meet standard or adopteddimensionsy as to the sjiacingh between the rafters D or beams lil, sothatithcj-,f will terminate on the centers ot two such elements lll/herethe rooting' sections are ot the torni shown in Figs. 1,2, 2, il and 6,I may construct two such sections simultaneously by taking` a sheet olmaterial T (seo Fig. la) and cutting` it on the transverse lines 'TU-and longitudinal lines lli thereby forming the two sections withoutwaste et material, since as already set torth the cut-away sections 5and projections (i are ot equal width. Also, by projecting` one of thetransverse lines Y ot the cut outwardly and laterally in oppositedirections, shown at i, to a point midway between the resulting adjacentprojections 6 and then continuing such line of cut transversely to theside edges of the sheet 7, as shown at 7, the resulting sections may bejointed end to end, with the lower end of the joint terminating on orabove the surface ot' the next lower rooting section 3, as shown in Fig.ln this arrangement, l insert between the sections 2 and sections 3 arelatively thin plate or sheet of suitable material 8, suoli as asphaltor asbestos, which overlaps the oint between the ends ot two members l(see Fig. 5), this sheet 8 having a length equal to the width of themember l and a width equal to that ot a projection 6, so that if anywater tlows .in between the ends of the sections 3, it will liowdownwardly and be discharged on the surface ot the lower section 3.Except for the sheet 8, water which might be t'orced by wind Linder thatprojection (3 interposed above a joint, could `l'low therethrough andescape between the engaging side edges ont the basal sectionsimmediately below the joint. rlhis construction is particularlyadvantageous where alternate rows ot' members l are jointed in alignmentby accident or otherwise. 0r, if desired, each projection 6 that becomessuperposed above a joint between two members l may be cemented theretoto effectively prevent the escape ot' water into and through the joint.

In constructing a roofing, I irst form the rooting members in the manneralready set forth; nextl I lay a member l or a plurality ot' members lin end to end relation along the lower ends of the raft-ers D. lt thet'orm of construction shown in Figs. l to G, inclusive, be used, thenthe tirst row of members l is so laid that the inner end walls of thecut-away sections 5 thereof substantially align with the free ends otlthe rafters l) and the projections 6 are cut or sawed otl, so as toleave a straight. unbroken terminal edge for the roo'i; next, a row otmembers l is laid above the tirst row, with the shoulders -t ot thebasal sections 2 engaging the upper or tree edges ot' the First row ot'members l, which arrangement will align the 'tree ends oit theprojections G with the terminal edge oi the root-see Figs. l and -lgnext, this last operation is repeated until the entire side ot' therooting is complete; next, these operations are carried out for theother side ot the rooting; then a flashing' G is positioned over theupper tree edges ot' the uppermost members l and secured in any desiredmanner. As shown at the lett hand end ot' Fig. l, the upper portion ot'the last laid members is plane and not consistent with the resultingassembly of rooting members l. To avoid this condition and undesirableappearance, l take the projections (i, which were sawed ott' from thetirst row of members 1 and position them on the last row of members (seeright hand side ot Fig. l), so that tion.

the same construction as well as eye appearance is maintained throughoutall portions ot the rooili.

In constructing and applying a siding, it will be understood that thesame steps are carried out.

lVhile either 'torni ot construction may be used for finishinga sidewall or a portion thereof or either form may be used for the rooting,the i'orms shown in Figs. 2, 2, 3, 4 and (S are preferable tor therooting due to the tile and color eliects that may be produced thereby.

Figs. 10, 1l and l2 illustrate another ltorni of construction making itpossible to produce a lurther eye appearance 'tor decorative or tileefleet purposes. ln this Ytorni o'lconstruction the lower portion oieach covering section t3 is provided with superinijuised sections ortabs S), `which may be formed with the section 3, integrally as shown inFig. 13, or cut out separately and secured by suitable means in positionthereon, as shown in Figs. ll and l2. The tabs 9 may be spaced apart adistance substantially equal to their width. The covering members l"Larc preferably laid to bring the tabs 9 in alignl'nent. The upper endsot the tabs 9 a re. incl ined to insure drainage ot water; otherwisewater would accumulate between one tab and the section 3 of 7 the nextmember V@and cause damage, especially due to freezing in cold weather.To give a synm'ietrical appearance, these ends are inclined downwardlyfrom their centers in opposite directions.

From the foregoing description it will be seen that my improved coveringmembers constitute the complete covering or wall tor a building eitheras its roof or a side wall or a portion oit a sido wall, serving as acombined supporting means and exposed or weather surface. andelin'linating completely the cost of materials and labor in sheathingthe studding or rafters of the structure preparatory to laying thecovering. such as weather boards. shingles or tile. its the sheathingand covering are mad and laid as units, both (merations are ellected inand by one. opera- My construction ol covering provides for economicalconstruction not only because it is cheaper in cost, but because it canbe made in relatively longl sections, which facilitates its handling,laying and securing in position. Due to the insulation qualities ot thematerial as well as its adaptability to waterprooling, the coveringmembers provide a durable, air tight and liquid tight wall or cover as aroot or side wall 'for a building.

Preferably, the covering sections are formed from sheet material havinga thickness oi approximately one-halt inch, so that the members whenlaid give the appearance of tile. By covering these sections with groundmineral of ditl'erent colors and laying them with the colors inalternate arrangen'ient or according to some design the tile ordecorative effect is increased.

lVhere the sections are molded or conr pressed. their surfaces may beshaped other than flat and the projections 6 may be of convex-concave'torni it desired.

To those skilled in the` art to which my invention relates, many changesin construction and Widely ditlering embodiments and applications theinif'ention ivill suggest themselves ivithout departing troin the spiritand scope thereof. My disclosures and the description herein are purelyillustrative and are not intended. to be in any sense limiting.

iVhat I claim is:

l. A composite cover iuei'iiber comprising a basal section `termed ofrelatively rigid inaterial and a rigid covering` section iornied ofinterlaced opcn-ivork .iibers highly insulating as compared to ivood andsecured to .said basal section in face to face relation, said covering`section extending beyond one side edge ol1 the basal section to overlapthe covering' section of an adjacent cover member and the side edges ofthe basal section being arranged to engagethe side edges oli adjacentbasal sections of the next upper and lovver roivs of cover members.

2. A Wall construction consisting ot spaced. parallel arrangedsupporting elements and cover members, each cover member comprising arelatively rigid basal section arranged to lie on said supportingelements and cngage side edge to side edge the basal sections ofadjoining members and a relatively rigid covering section toi-med ofinterlaced open- Work ibers highly insulating as compared to Wood, saidcovering section being' extended beyond one side edge ot' said basalsection and terminating in spaced projections.

3. l relatively long Wall section adapted to engage spaced supports7comprising a relatiif'ely thick portion forming a truss and a.substantially rigid thin portion formed oi' in terlaccd open-work fibershighly insulating as compared to ivood and extending beyond onelongitudinal edge oli said thick portion a distance greater than thetransverse vtidth oli said thick portion to torni a covering1 thelongitudinal edges ot said thick portion bein arranged to engage theopposite longitudinal edges oi' the thick portions ot adjacent sectionsto torni a sheathing and the inside `iiace ot said thick portion beinginclined iiroin the longitudinal edge from ivhich said thin portionextends to its opposite longitudinal edge so that said edges are equalin thickness, whereby said apron has face to 'face relation with anadjacent apron.

4. A relatively long insulating composite building unit for a roof orivall comprising relatively rigid sections of diii'erent ividths in taceto face relation to form a relatively thick portion and a relativelythin portion conrposed of interlaced opens-Work liber-s highlyinsulating as compared to Wood and extending beyond one longitudinaledgeof the `thick portion, said relatively thick portion being arrangedvto engage edgetoedge Vthe edges oit' correspondingl portions oi' otherlunits and coeojgierate therewith to form a sheathing and the relativelythin portion extending over the joint between said relatively thickportion and the corresponding portion of an adjacent unit, saidrelatively thick portion serving as a truss tor the unit.v -whereby thelatter may be supported on spaced supports,

A relatively long insulating lniilding unit tor a roell or ivall comprng a relatively thick portion and a relatively thinA por-- tionextending beyond one longitudinal edge et the thick portion, saidrelatively thick portion being arrangeiil to engage cdge-to edge theedges ot corresponding portions of other units and (5o-operatethereivitlrto 'torni a sheathing and the relatively thin portionertcnding over the joint between said relatively thick portion and thecorresponding portion of an adjacent unit, said relatively thick portionserving `as a truss t'or the unit. one end et the unit .having aperpendicular portion co--extensive ivith said thick portiontransversely and an inwardly oitset perpendicular port-ion connectedivith said perpendiciilar portion by an. intermediate angular-lvdisposed portion and the opposite end ot the unit being of complementaryshape, whereby the unit when in position covers the joint between unitsor the next adjacent loiver rovi ot units.

G. A combined sheathing and cover unit Afor the rooi' or ivall et abuilding, comprising' a pair oit' relatively rigid members cementedtogether in face to face relation. the inner member cooperating ivithsimilar niembers et other units to form a sheathing and the outer memberbeing extended relative to one longitudinal edge oli the inner men'iberto form an apron and one ot said members beipgyorined oiiwhcatinsulatingl material.

t. n.. coinoined .sheathing and cover unit i'or the reo'l er wall oi abuilding, comprising a pair olf relatively rigid i'iiembers cementedtogether in ,taco to tace relation, the inner member cooperating Withsimilar meinbers of other units to form a ,sheathing and 'the outermember being extended relative to one longitudinal edge oit the` innermember to ,torni an apron and the outer member being formed oi'i heatinsulating material. i

fl. il, roei or ivall building unit comprising a. niain portion andprojecting members along` one edge thereof, disposed in spaced relation,one end ot said unit having a perpendicular portion arranged to alignWith similar end portions ot the immediate adjacent upper or loiverunits and an inwardly inclined portion terminating at the upper edge oi'the adjacent space and the opposite end having a- Yptnpendicular portionarranged to align with lil() llt) inoaeoo similar end portions of theimmediate adjacent upper or lower units and an outwardly inclinedportion terminating at the upper outer end of the adjacent projectingniember7 whereby the latter member covers the joint between unitsinnnediately below it and each end of the unit is coinplen'ientary tothe opposite end of the adjoining unit.

S). A building Wall or roel comprising spaced supports and ron's oitcover units mounted on said supports, each unit comprising a basalsection arranged to engage edge to edge the basal sections ot upper andlower units and an apron terminating in spaced members; the members onthe lowerniost row olE units being removed and secured to the basalsections of the uppermost ron' of units.

l0. A relatively long vall section conn prising a relatively thickportion forming a truss and av substantially rigid thin portion composedof interlaced open-Work fibers highly insulating as compared to Wood andforming an insulating apron and extending beyond one edge of said thickportion a distance greater than the transverse Width of said thickportion to 'torni a covering, the edges oil? said thick portion beingarranged to engage the longitudinal edges of the thick portions oladjacent sections to form a sheathing and the inside face of said thickportion being inclined from the longitudinal edge from which saidrelatively thin portion extends to its opposite longitudinal edge sothat said edges are equal in thickness,

whereby said apron has face to l'ace relation with an adjacent apron.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto alitixcd my signature.

EARL W. LESHER.

